NEWSLETTER: From concept to reality

Welcome to the new year!

How are you doing with your resolutions?

One of my primary resolutions for the new year included taking the Biddeford Gazette from a simple concept to a structured, non-profit organization.

The Gazette was formally launched on January 14, 2025. Our first story was about a proposed affordable housing project that would be built near Rotary Park.

Over the next several months, the Gazette became a trusted, reliable and professional news outlet.

We published more than 130 original and often exclusive news stories. We also published – at no charge — local obituaries and listings of community events.

During the last year, the Gazette also took on several enterprise stories, including our three-part series on affordable housing and our in-depth reporting of the candidates and issues connected to Biddeford’s biennial election, including organizing the only mayoral debate in October.

The Gazette also grew internally, several people stepped up to volunteer their time and expertise to support our mission statement. We also were able to establish a diverse, nine-member advisory board that includes some heavy hitters in the community.

And we provided a resource to share and promote community-generated news and feature stories from our readers.

It’s been an amazing year that exceeded all my expectations.

Going forward

Over the next few weeks, the Gazette will become an incorporated entity. We are currently working with an attorney to determine the best path forward. We are also in the process of taking care of some household chores, including insurance, opening a business banking account, professional dues and memberships, etc.

It’s exciting to watch the Gazette grow and to see it being embraced so warmly by the community, but our mission statement remains at the core of everything we do.

Between the holidays and all the internal, behind-the-scenes activity, you have probably noticed that our news coverage has slowed a bit.

Have no fear, we have some good (and exclusive) stories in development.

In case you missed it, we had a lot of fun learning about and writing about the West Brook skating rink on Pool Street. That outdoor rink has been part of Biddeford’s history for more than 100 years.

We also took a deep dive into what may have seemed to be an innocuous story regarding new appointments to the Biddeford Planning Board.

As for my other resolutions? Why do French Fries have to taste so good?

As always, thanks for reading!

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Randy Seaver is the editor and founder of the Biddeford Gazette. He may be reached by email: randy@randyseaver.com

c.) 2026 All Rights Reserved

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